Fabula Imperium
by Crunchman99
Summary: Dis is teh stry abut tese ppl who go on a advntr- All right, give me the mic. OMG WT- *Punch* My turn. Let me tell you a story you'll never forget. A tale of ice and fire, of shadows and sunlight, of water and amperage. Also, a dude who can electrocute other dudes. No, this doesn't include Cole McGrath himself, just a little twist on that narrative.
1. Occursus (Chapter 1)

Now, I'm not going to say that I'm new to FanFiction... but I'm new to FanFiction. However, I have a reputation as a good writer, so don't expect really crappy writing with no quotations and no regard for punctuation whatsoever. Have fun.

Also, you can google the meaning of most of the characters' last names, along with names of places or chapters to get some interesting results.

Occursus (Chapter 1)

Arcus Wheeler strolled through the mall, his hands in his pockets and whistling. To tell you the truth, he almost looked like someone who had just committed a crime and was playing dumb. His slightly uncooperative blond hair was sticking up a little in the back, but otherwise it was perfect. His sharp electric blue eyes scanned the hallway, presumably looking for something in particular. He was wearing his trademark Areopostale sweatshirt over a blue t-shirt, along with jeans, of course. He looked down at his watch. "Twelve thirty already?" he murmured to himself. He knew he was going to be late, and there was nothing he could do about it. Then again, he would probably be fine. It was the 'probably' part that gave him unease. He kept looking. Twelve thirty-one. After a couple minutes, he finally found the food court. He spotted his target, and leisurely walked to the table. He sat down. "Where have you been?" asked Mila Aquis, his friend-who-happened-to-be-a-girl. Her short dark hair did a small swooshing motion when she moved her head. She brushed one side back behind her ear. Her softer blue eyes bored into his. Luckily, she didn't seem to be angry about it. "I… slept in." "Of course…" she sighed. "What?" Arcus replied defensively. "It's a Saturday! I usually don't wake up this early anyway." He smiled in spite of himself. Mila sighed again. She seemed to be fond of doing that, but I had the feeling she was hiding a smile too. "Well, everyone else will be here pretty soo-"

She got cut off, and as luck would have it, it was by the one guy Arcus didn't want to be here. "Hey guys, how's it going?" yelled Max Incendia. Girls at school seemed to swoon at the sight of his long red hair, and he wore red colored contacts to fit his red outfit. Hmm… there seems to be a theme here. Arcus didn't see the appeal. He face palmed. "Pfft… Why does HE have to be here anyway?" Mila shot him a look. "Don't be like that, Arcus. I thought this meeting needed a party atmosphere," she explained. Max muttered "Loser," under his breath. Arcus glared at him, but kept quiet for Mila's sake. "Yeah, some party." Remarked a deep voice from somewhere behind them. They whirled around to see the one guy that Arcus didn't know. Shadix Umbra. (What can I say? I like original names.) He was the goth (sorry: that was politically incorrect) guy Arcus saw hanging out in school hallways most of the time. His black hair went well with his black jeans and a black t-shirt. Hmm... there seems to be a- oh, right. Already used that. His eyes were a dark brown. It was obvious he didn't like the sun because his skin tan could use some work. "Hi Shadix, thanks for coming," Mila said politely. He shrugged. "Not like I had anything else to do today," He said, folding his arms nonchalantly. Mila looked around. "I wonder where… ah, there they are," She said smiling. Sage Adficio was looking uncomfortable walking next to Annie Sonitus, who was jamming out to heavy metal on her earphones. They approached the table and sat down. "Hey guys! How's it going?" asked Mila. "Now you're starting to sound like Max," Arcus mumbled. Mila and Max both elbowed him simultaneously. "What?" Annie shouted over the noise of her earphones. Sage looked around uneasily. "Mila… you know I don't like crowds… Can't you see that they're looking at me?" she said looking around nervously. "What?" Annie shouted over the noise of her earphones. Mila comforted her, "Oh Sage, you'll be fine. We can go shopping later…" she teased. Sage's face brightened at the mention of shopping. "What?" Annie shouted over the noise of her earphones. Arcus went over and pulled the earphones out of her ears. "She says you guys can go shopping later," He repeated. "Cool!" she said. She talked a bit louder than everyone else because she was slightly deaf. "That means I can buy a new pair of headphones, the speakers in these are about to blow," she remarked happily.

"Yo, Arcus! What's up, my man?" said Leo Levis, the one guy Arcus was happy to have here. His hair was so blond it was almost white, and his outfit matched it. "Leo! Hey, man, how's it going?" Arcus replied. Shadix chuckled. "Now you're starting to sound like Max," he remarked. Arcus and Max elbowed him simultaneously. "Glad you're here. Can we eat now? I'm starving." asked Arcus. "Sure… but you're paying," Mila said with a straight face. Arcus was confused. "Wait, wha-"he started. Mila giggled. Arcus grumbled. "Oh sure, try to make me do everything. Would you like your shoes polished, my lady?" Everybody laughed at that. They all went to the different mini restaurants within the food court, ordered their food, and brought it back to their table. They chatted about school, how hard it was, and asked each other about their grades, blah, blah, blah. Arcus had already finished before the others. He was kind of thirsty, so he considered his options. Buy expensive bottled water at one of the restaurants, or go to the water fountain next to the restrooms for free. It was a no-brainer. Arcus stood up. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go grab a drink. I'll be back in a sec," he said as he strode to the entrance. As he bent down to drink at the fountain, he felt a little dizzy. He straightened up and leaned against the wall, holding his palm to his forehead. That was when he felt it. A strange sort of… gravity, for lack of a better term, was pulling in the direction of the doors. He didn't know why, but he started walking in that direction. He went out into the crisp autumn air, and felt the gravity shift to his left. He felt obliged to follow it. He had the feeling it was leading him somewhere. He kept walking towards it, until it led him to a small, dark alley in between two local stores. The gravity was stronger now. It seemed almost… insistent that he keep walking. He didn't see anything. He was confused. The gravity, it seemed, had lead him to a dead end. That was when he noticed it. It was a life-altering, all-powerful, mind-blowing… metal box. No, not a box… it was more of a cube shape. He went over to it and picked it up with one of the two handles. Nothing seemed to happen, except… was it a dark blue color before he picked it up? He shook his head, attributing it to his imagination. For some reason, he didn't know why, he took it back out of the alley, and walked backed to the mall. By this time, there were crowds and crowds of people. It was a pretty popular mall. He walked back through the doors to the food court, found his friend's table, and sat down. They were still there chatting until he showed up. "You must've been really thirsty, man. You took like ten minutes just getting a drink!" Leo said in mock anger. "And what's that thing you're carrying?" Arcus looked at it like he was seeing it for the first time. "I… don't know exactly. I found it outside," he admitted. Now that he was back with his friends, the cube seemed… brighter. He held it out for Leo to inspect. Leo tried to take it from him, but when he and Arcus were both touching it, it lit up at least twice as bright as it was before. Leo jerked his hand back. "What the…" he breathed. He touched it again, and the same thing happened. He was having fun grabbing it and letting go, seeing it light up and darken, until Arcus stopped him. The force seemed to be back, only now it was telling him…

"Guys, everybody grab onto it," he said. Mila looked skeptical. "Why? It looks almost dangerous when you two are holding it. Who knows what it is? It could be radioactive or something," she said nervously. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Arcus assured her. "Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better," she said sarcastically, but she complied hesitantly along with everyone else after a few seconds. Now the cube was hard to look at, it was so bright. For some reason, Arcus noticed that the crowds had grown since he came back. The entire food court was full. His hands gravitated to the two handles on the sides. He instinctively knew what to do. He gathered all his strength, and pushed inward as hard as he could. He felt an exhilarating sense of speed. Then next thing he knew, there was a thunderous explosion, and he blacked out.


	2. Novo (Chapter 2)

Novo (Chapter 2)

Arcus came to about thirty seconds later. He groaned, rubbed his head, and sat up. He felt sore all over. His entire body was tingling. When he opened his eyes, he didn't believe what he was seeing. He was in a completely different place. He stood up and looked around. He saw trees all around him, and he was standing in what looked like a park. He recognized this park… no, it couldn't be. It looked like Venustas Park, in Arcis City. But that was across the country! It didn't make any sense. His blood chilled. He remembered something else. This was where his father… _Stop it,_ Arcus said mentally. _Don't think about that_. He decided not to focus on that right now. Mila, Max, Leo, Annie, Sage, and Shadix were all about ten feet away from each other on the ground. He seemed to be fine, but the concrete around him was messed up. There was a giant crater around him to the point where it looked like a bomb had gone off, except he was standing on what looked like a short pillar of untouched concrete. He noticed something else… there were people all around him, lying on the ground. There were so many it was hard to count them all. The park he was standing in must have been a popular destination. The people were probably unconscious, he reasoned… although he knew he was just trying to reassure himself. He slid down the edge of the crater and eventually woke each of them up. "Ugh… my head. What WAS that?" asked Leo. "Search me," grumbled Arcus. He finally got them to their feet. They climbed up over the edge onto the pavement. That was when HE showed up. What looked like a small black hole suddenly opened in front of them. They all backed up quickly. It collapsed, and a strange figure appeared. He was wearing a white hooded cloak, like something from Assassin's Creed. (What?... yeah, yeah, yeah, breaking the fourth wall and all that.) He spoke.

"Hey guys, what's up? ...Isn't that what you kids are saying these days?" His deep voice sounded friendly.

Shadix, Max, and Mila elbowed Arcus before he could say anything. Mila stepped forward. "Who are you? How did we get here? Why are all these people unconscious? …And why is THAT there?" she said, pointing at the crater with the pillar in the middle. "All in due time… Mila," he said. She stepped back. "How do you know my name?" she demanded. "Oh, I have been watching you all for a very long time. I have to say, it's been fascinating. But to answer your first question... My name is Aston Exitium. How did you get here? Well… that's a little harder," he admitted. "As to why they are unconscious… well, they aren't. I have the answers to all your questions, and more. No doubt you feel stronger than before… you do, don't you?" Arcus knew what he was talking about. There was no way he should've survived an explosion powerful enough to blow a ten foot crater in the walkway. There was DEFINITELY no way he should've just gotten up and walked away after. He felt stronger as well. His mind was more… acute than it was ten minutes ago. "Yes… you are feeling the effects. You are also stronger than you were in a different way. For example, Arcus… you remember your parents, of course," Aston said.

Arcus clenched his fists until they turned white. He silently seethed at how this person seemed to know about them. "You remember your father, don't you? He left you, abandoning you and your mother, didn't he?" Aston continued. Arcus was infuriated. "Don't. Talk. About. My. Father. Like. That." Arcus hissed. "Yes," Aston continued. "He never really loved you, of course. He was HAPPY to be stationed here." Aston goaded. Arcus was about to punch him in the face, when Aston dared to make one last comment. "He couldn't stand you… EITHER of you."

"That's IT!" Aston shouted. He sprinted toward him, fist raised. He was going to rearrange that jerk's face, when he noticed something. His fist… it was…

"Electrified?" He whispered, uncomprehending. He stopped. Miniature lightning bolts were running up and down his arm. In fact, they were running THROUGH his arm, almost like he was conducting it. Obviously Arcus knew that the human body could conduct electricity, just not on THAT level. "Ah yes… elecrokinesis. I should've guessed," Aston mused.

Arcus stopped staring at his arm and looked at Aston. "What… what happened to me back there?" He took another step toward him. "You know what this is, don't you?" he asked angrily. "Oh, yes. In fact, I'm very much like you," Aston looked around to Arcus' friends. "ALL of you," he said. "You don't know it yet, but each of you has powers of their own. You just need to figure out what they are. I myself could increase your power tenfold," he boasted. "But only if you join me. With your power combined with mine, we could take control of this planet, and wipe these unworthy humans off the face of the earth! We are the future. We are… imperials," he concluded.

Arcus didn't know what to think. What he was saying sounded insane. But then again, he would sound pretty insane if he told someone that he could make electricity come out of his arm. Max looked at us, then back at Aston. He started to walk in his direction, until he was at his side. "Well?" Max demanded. "You coming or what? World domination seems like a pretty sweet idea to me." Sage took a deep breath, and went out to Max's side. "He's right, you know," she said. "It does sound pretty sweet." Mila was shaking her head. "Sage, think about what you're doing!" she said insistently. "I already have," Sage replied, "and my answer is yes."

Arcus heard police sirens in the distance. Aston looked annoyed. "Well?" he asked. "Come on!" Arcus was the first to speak. "No." Aston looked quizzical. "No? What do you mean, no?" "It's not right," Arcus argued. "What have they ever done to us, that we should wipe them off the face of the earth?"

Aston clenched his jaw. "Consider your decision, Arcus. If you are not with me, then you are against me," he said tightly. "I've already considered, and MY answer is no. I refuse," Arcus declared. The police sirens were close now. Aston seemed to be disappointed. "So be it," he said. "Next time…" he remarked ominously. He snapped his fingers, the black hole appeared again, and they were gone. "Friggin' showoff," Arcus muttered. Police cars swerved around the corner, and barreled towards them. Just as it seemed it was about to hit them, it screeched to a halt. Two officers climbed out of the car, pulled out their pistols, and yelled "Freeze!"

They froze. One officer said, "Sir, put down the weapon if you know what's good for you!" Arcus didn't know what they were talking about. Then he realized his arm was still electrified. It must've looked like a cattle prod or a tazer to them. "Stand down, Williams," said a woman's voice. She must've been pretty influential, because he obeyed immediately. She got out of the other police car and walked up to them. "Sorry about that, he's not the trusting type," she said, while she glared at the officer. She turned her attention to Arcus. They were about the same height. "We got a call of suspicious activity, involving someone named Aston Exitium," she said. "He's a wanted fugitive from the government," she continued. She introduced herself. "My name is Mariam Dolosus," she said. She offered to shake Arcus' hand. He just cocked an eyebrow at her. She pulled her hand back. "Right. Bad idea. Don't want to get electrocuted. Anyway, I know what happened to you, and I also know someone who can help you. I have a friend named Mark Callidus. He's a forensic scientist, very involved in police cases, and he studies mutation as sort of a side project. The only reason I know about it is because he spouts off about his discoveries to anyone he meets." She stared at Arcus' arm a long time. "I've heard about it, but I hadn't actually seen it firsthand before," she murmured. She looked back to his face. "He has answers for you, for example, like why you have fifty thousand volts running through your arm right now," she proposed. Arcus looked at his friends, and then looked back at her. "How do we know we can trust you?" he asked skeptically. She shrugged. "You can't," she admitted. Arcus paused. "Seems legit," he said. "Get in a car, and I'll take you to him," she said, gesturing for the drivers to unlock the car doors. "He knows all about people like you."


	3. Conscientia (Chapter 3)

Conscientia (Chapter 3)

Thankfully, Arcus' arm stopped spitting out voltage just as they got in the car. He had a feeling he would blow the engine if he sat in it while electrified. Now that his adrenaline had worn off, he felt absolutely exhausted. No, not tired… more like drained. He rested his head against the window, and slept almost immediately. He began to dream…

He dreamed that he was with his parents again… before the tragedy. His father looked happy to be with them. Then his dream changed. He was running in slow motion. His father was in his police uniform, cuffing a gang member on the hood of his cop car. It was strange seeing it, as he wasn't even there when it happened. He saw the gang member on the car smile evilly as another crept up behind his father with a knife. Arcus couldn't cry out, and he couldn't run any faster to warn him. The other gang member thrust downward-

Arcus woke up, and almost punched the person in the passenger seat with those fifty thousand volts. He stopped at the last second, breathing hard. He quickly willed his arm to stop doing the electric thing, and it worked. Apparently he didn't have enough power yet to blow the engine. He laid back in his seat, thinking. What must his mom be thinking? He should probably find a phone or something and contact her, tell her that he was okay. The car stopped in front of what looked like a laboratory. He remembered what Mariam said about Callidus, and he figured that's exactly what it was. She rushed them all inside. It was your stereotypical laboratory, with beakers full of chemicals. It reminded him of his science class, really. He saw a dude with a white lab coat on holding a jagged piece of some blue material. When he saw it, he began to feel dizzy again. He supported himself on the lab table. His friends seemed to be in a similar situation. The man, who we now know to be Mark Callidus, stood up straight, and looked at us. "Ah, so these are the test subje- ahem, people you were telling me about, Mariam?" "Yes indeed," Mariam affirmed. He put the shard down, came over to them, and started looking them up and down. He seemed like your stereotypical mad scientist, except without the spiky white hair. He seemed sane enough, though. "How's it going?" he asked. Mila, Shadix, and Arcus all elbowed each other. "So, you may be wondering what happened to you. Well, I can tell you. It's a long explanation, though. You may want to sit down," Callidus suggested.

He took them over to what looked like a lounge area where there were several couches. Arcus thought they looked strange in a place like this, however he wasn't complaining. They all sat down. "Why don't you tell me your story?" Callidus inquired. Arcus began at… well, the beginning. Mila and Annie jumped in to add some details if he forgot anything. Callidus didn't seem surprised at what had happened. "Okay, let me explain what the cube is first. The official name is the Mobius Cube. How you found it is irrelevant, however I have an interesting idea how. Basically, all of you have a specific gene in your DNA. It's called the Imperium gene," explained Callius. "Imperium is the Latin word for power." "I remember Aston Exitium calling us… imperials?" asked Shadix. Callius nodded. "That's the term for the people who have the gene, yes. When you, Arcus, pushed in on the handles, it activated the function of the cube. It's an extremely advanced device. Why or how it teleported you here, I have no idea. Anyway, what it does is drain the neuro-electric energy from normal humans in a wide radius, depositing it into all Imperials in the vicinity, giving them superhuman abilities. The activation, however, creates an extremely large concussive force that no regular human could survive," he explained.

They stared blankly at him.

"Oh, all right then," he said, annoyed. "Think of it like this: it drains the life force of normal humans and gives it to you, so you get superpowers, and a side effect is that it blows up. Got it?" They nodded. Callius became serious. "Like I said, it's extremely advanced. It was created by the owners of multi-billion dollar corporations, of which Aston is one…, probably CORRUPT multi-billion dollar corporation owners. I am reasonably sure that this was not the only Mobius Cube out there. They wouldn't be stupid enough to only make one, after all. It would be logical to assume that Aston has been exposed multiple times, increasing his powers exponentially. Anyway, even I don't fully understand how it works, but rest assured that it works."

Arcus got a sick feeling in his stomach. "So… the people lying in the crater were…"

"Dead, in fact," Callius finished. "That's terrible!" cried Mila. "I'm inclined to agree with you, however there's nothing we can do about it now," Callius said firmly. "What you CAN do is figure out a way to increase your powers, and defeat Exitium. If he's still around, and some of your friends are with him, the city is in danger," Callius warned.

"One other thing…" he continued. "When the Mobius Cube detonated, it split into tens, possibly a couple hundred shards," he said. "Like the one you have over there?" inquired Leo. "Yes, very much like this one," Callius said, standing up and walking over to it. He picked it up and brought it back to the table. "Arcus, why don't you hold it?" he said. As Arcus touched it, he felt that strange guiding force coming back to him. He held it in both hands out in front of him in a vertical fashion, and dumped at least a couple amps into the thing. It disintegrated in his hands. No, literally, it disintegrated INTO his hands. "Aha! I thought that would happen," Callius declared triumphantly. He became serious. He looked Arcus in the eye. "The more shards you collect, the more energy storage you will have. The more you use your powers, the more powerful they will become. Think of it like this: You have a battery. More shards increase the capacity of the battery. Draining and charging the battery will let the current flow easier, and faster. Get the picture?" He nodded. "So…" Arcus said. "Our to-do list: 1. Find out what our powers are. 2. Collect Mobius shards to improve our charge capacity. 3. Practice using our powers as often as we can. 4. Find and defeat Aston Exitium, probably the most powerful Imperial in existence. Yeah. Yeah, we can do that."


End file.
